DOCUMENTARY FEATURING IRAQI RESISTANCE
TO DEBUT AT CINEMAEAST FILM FESTIVAL
“Ist’imariyah: Windward between Naples and Baghdad” Film to Highlight Underground Resistance in Iraq
November 2, 2007 New York, NY— ArteEast’s 2007 CinemaEast Film Festival today announced plans to premier Ist’imariyah: Windward between Naples and Baghdad at this year’s film festival at the IFC. The film will screen on Sunday, November 11 at 7pm and will be followed by a Q&A with director Michelangelo Severgnini. A screening will also take place Friday, November 9 at 2pm.
The groundbreaking documentary directed by Michelangelo Severgnini features young males from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, as well as others from Lebanon and Syria who share their experiences after volunteering in the Iraqi resistance. The film eloquently captures the despair of a generation hostage to the unending state of war. Ist’imariyah holds the line between grassroots political engagement and art, to craft a fascinating and insightful reflection on the forces behind ist’imariyah – colonialism – in the Middle East.
Ist’imariyah is already the recipient of prestigious awards, including the International Prize for Documentary and Reporting in the Mediterranean. It has been screened at the Dialektus Fesztival in Budapest, the Naples Film Festival, and the Beirut International Documentary Film Festival.
Michelangelo Severgnini is a documentary filmmaker based in Rome. His work has featured Middle-East politics and includes, …And the Tigris Placid Flows…: Portraits from Occupied Baghdad and The Return of Aarch: The Villages of Kabilia Shake, Algeria.
The CinemaEast Festival has established a reputation for showcasing the absolute best in Middle-East and North African filmmaking, whether it be cinematic shorts, documentaries or feature films. ArteEast, which produces the CinemaEast festival, has become a global partner with many of the growing film communities in the regions highlighted in the festival selections.
WHAT: Ist’imariyah: Windward between Naples and Baghdad (Ist’imariyah: Controvento tra Napoli e Baghdad) by Michelangelo Severgnini. Italy, 2006, 90 min, MiniDV
WHEN: Fri, Nov 9, 2:00 P.M.
Sun, Nov 11, 7:00 P.M. Q&A with director Michelangelo Severgnini
WHERE: IFC Center 323 Sixth Avenue @ West 3rd Street New York, NY 10014
